Sunday, January 24, 2010

Due to some equipment issues this show ended being cut short by a half hour or so. Lame... but huge thanks goes out to my lovely girlfriend who brought in my external hard drive so I could play rips of most of stuff I was intending a play. There wouldn't have been a show without her so give her a hand. Anyway... mp3s are posted now, enjoy.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Easthampton, MA’s Feeding Tube Records is home to some of the weirdest sounds in the world and even more impressive/nuts is that FT puts out just about every release on thick vinyl in pro-printed jackets. If that isn't dedication... Case in point, I got two LPs here, one is a split by Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer and the other is Bag of Sand by West Mass band Zebu! so named because it’s a reissue of a CD-r originally packaged in a bag of sand.This Hjuler/Baer record was first described to me as “really heady euro art shit (with the emphasis on shit.)” And, really, that’s pretty spot on. When I first opened it up I was greeted with a frightening, pixilated image of a man and woman who I assume are Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer. Then, turning the record over there’s a graphic painting of a hermaphrodite orgy. Yet, what is actually on the record is even weirder.Kommissar Hjuler’s side “ONCE AGAIN concrete poetry (or was it the song?)” comes with a description that reads “a collage of US-american sound poetry, collected by Jean-Francois Bory, presented by Kommissar Hjuler und Frau.” Beginning with “Once again! Concrete poetry,” which quickly becomes a familiar refrain, Hjuler I assume introduces the piece as a collection of interesting developments in concrete poetry which spans the world. I don’t know anything about concrete poetry so I’m not really sure if these are samples or Hjuler's und Frau's own readings of various pieces of poetry. I’m leaning toward the latter though there may be samples in there as well. Hjuler growls through a distorted microphone which feeds back often and static always seems to be present though not always noticeable. The rapid repetition of “und schnitz(?)” around halfway through gives the piece an unusual but welcome rhythmic push. This thing is really just nuts and all over the place. I'm not sure how to describe what's going on other than to say that. When Hjuler starts reciting the English alphabet I’m not really sure what’s going on, not that I had any idea before. Is that part of a poem he’s reading or is he just practicing his English? When he’s speaking about the clumping animal and the agency of the typewriter, what the fuck is he talking about? I feel my questions are doomed to go unanswered. The track has a very stark, claustrophobic nature and, to be honest, it's a little scary. This Kommissar dude seems like someone which, if I saw him, might cause me to cross the street. Frau seems nice though. Near the end of the side they seem to get more agitated with more distorted growls and feedback whiting out the words they’re saying. Although, Hjuler reads surprisingly lucidly that “the text that is read is never the same for anyone” which catches me off guard as it makes total sense; it’s one last gasp of coherence before the all-consuming, distorto-clusterfuck that the side culminates in. Maybe I don’t need to say this but, what the fuck?Mama Baer’s contribution is like a side of nursery rhymes by comparison. Her work is still pretty damn weird though. The description that comes along with this is “contains a lot of field recordings and Mama Baer’s voice/treatment.” Baer’s recorder also makes itself a mainstay. The first track “Alcoholisme – brut Part 1” is a much appreciated respite from the firebreathing of Hjuler’s side. There’s a bunch of spliced samples of European films or television shows nestled among a slowly looping percussion hit and wandering recorder. It’s strangely soothing for most of its duration. Baer’s voice pops up near the end of the track, after a brief bit where her voice is cut up, she sings in English though I can’t figure out what she’s singing about. The percussion loop picks up a little but the track abruptly drops off. The second part of “Alcoholisme – brut” features all of the elements of the first part plus a few more. This track is much more filled out with multiple layers of recorder, bits and pieces of electronic squelch along with samples and voice. At one point she duets with what sounds a manipulation of a recording of her voice. A cut-up, distorted recorder accompanies the duet though its volume fluctuates unexpectedly. Electronics and what sounds like someone scribbling very quickly with a marker or pencil appear for a while. Eventually there’s a strange but cool part where Baer constructs a melody out of various recordings of her singing “anymore.” It took me a little while to figure out what she was up to there but it’s quite cool once I figured out what she was doing. Anyway, that “anymore” bit gets all whipped up until disappears. The piece goes out on frantic manipulated samples and calming, echoing recorder and percussion loop. It’s definitely a strange side but much easier to get a handle on than side A.I’d never heard Zebu! before which I’m kinda surprised by. Judging from this record they’re a pretty killer band. There isn’t any personnel info on the jacket but based on an accompanying drawing, it looks like there are two people in the band, someone on drums and someone on guitar, and there’s occasional vocals and electronics and whatnot as well. The record kicks off with “Jackets Don’t Mean a Thang” and auto-panned Velcro-squelch guitar/electronics. There’s a long build up before the crunchy drums enter. There’s a bit of free rock vibe for awhile before the band falls into blurry, fuzzy drones ultimately crawling out with a weirdly bluesy guitar solo and following freak out. A melody that the guitarist had been jamming on since the beginning becomes clear and it’s actually a rather pretty one when played with lucidity. The track almost ends up a punk song with fast drumming and vocals but the feedback is so out of control I’d be a stretch to call it that. “Thights” is a short simple song which begins with an a capella intro. “Rover the Radio, Over” is one of the LP's stand outs. Beginning with a weirdly afro-Caribbean vibe, or at least as afro-Caribbean has a two man free rock band can sound. The track is wrapped tightly in a blanket of static but the thunderous drumming and strange groovy melodies still come through loud and clear. Zebu! keeps things energetic and dynamic through it’s duration making for a pretty galvanizing jam. “Wow Oh Oh” is only around 40 seconds long and it’s basically a smattering of ideas that would all be great songs if developed. That track shifts suddenly into “Don’t Burn the House Down” a lovely piano and accordion duet which is quite shocking given how feedback-riddled this record is. Closing the side, “Pete Shakes the Floors” never totally lets loose, instead moving back and forth between tense passages of feedback and pounding drums though there’s a brief, riotous ending.“Olleh Olleh” is basically an intro of one of Zebu!’s recordings played backwards ("Hello Hello" get it?) “Crawling through the Ropes” is another stand out jam. It sounds slightly cleaner so you can really witness the dexterity of the two performers. One of its strengths is the track always has a groove even during the noisy whirlwind freakout section. Near the end the drummer just goes off, giving shape to the bludgeoning noise. The rest of the side’s tracks clock in at 3 minutes or less, the first of which is “Back Tooth Heavy Numb” which is mostly guitar drones. “Enter” brings in a drum machine and keyboard providing another unexpected track. It’s mainly a duet between guitar and organ but there’s a continuous slot-machine keyboard loop in the background as well. “My Girls a Thug” is basically an intro to “My Head Feels like it has Ten Pounds of Sand in it.” “Head” is a loose rock jam, not particularly structured but, despite tempo changes, sticks to a 4/4 and chords thing. “Eat Banana:Lay the Drums & Wave at Thy Guitar” is actually introduced as “Peel Your Banana and Play Drums” so I’m not sure which is correct but it doesn’t really matter. The track marks the first real step towards song-like territory. It’s got some lyrics and a central guitar line supported by the drums. After the lethargic first half, the track opens up into a fuzzy free-guitar rave-up. “Bloody Lips” makes the full transformation in its minute-long duration. It’s a straight up punk jam and a good one that doesn’t betray Zebu!’s abnormalities. Anyone into crazy ass free rock or the more adventurous scuzzy basement punk spheres should do themselves a favor and check these guys out.The Kommissar Hjuler/Mama Baer LP is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and is limited to 500 copies. The Zebu! LP is still available but only limited to 100. It also comes with a CD-r of the music and a hilarious insert.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Got a pair of local bands here... well, 1/4 of Little Claw is based in Seattle so I’m claiming them.Human Taste, released on T-Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label, is quite possibly the best thing he’s ever put out. This is one hell of a record. Starting off with rapid acoustic guitar and shakers, the title track gallops along with heavily tremolo’d slide guitar and is reprised as the album's finale. Coming next is “Frankie” which is the best Little Claw song in history I'm pretty sure. I’ve played it countless times since getting this CD. It’s incredibly simple but unmistakably powerful. It’s mostly just two chords and 4/4 drumming with one slide guitar going haywire throughout. Despite how catchy it is, the jam is teeming with bad vibes and the refrain “There’s no way out” suits the fatalistic mood perfectly. Though, I personally have no problem with there being no way out. It’s not often a midtempo rock song feel so relentless. An amazing piece of work for sure. Smartly, Little Claw follows up that high point with another. “Frozen in the Future” makes use of a squirming violin and choppy guitar strums before busting wide open at the one minute mark. There’s a killer buzzsaw baritone guitar line that kicks in at the chorus that, along with the dual percussionists, really gives the track its groove. The song is wonderfully dynamic, navigating through various cacophonies only to ultimately emerge with the brilliant, hooky chorus. Next, the agitated, distorted vocals of “Modern Vampire” belie the jaunty rhythm section eventually leading to a gnarly, fuzzed out dual-guitar solo. The frosty “Lay to Waste” changes things up with a minimal drumbeat, two note guitar line and distant vocals. Kelvin Pittman shows up with a bit of mellow sax accompaniment at the end too. “Colors You Drown,” another great song, brings the energy back up with one of the more singular, straight up rock arrangements of the record. The track is all forward motion, clawing its way to the chorus each time. Another stand-out, “Slow Sticky Tornado,” is pretty fucking epic. It rolls to a start unassumingly with shakers and guitar laying the groundwork for the sonic anxiety to come. Dan Rizer plays tapes, Guild copicat and Roland chorus echo in the track which goes a long way to thicken up the sound, making the arrangement and Kilynn’s vocals seem even stormier. Those six and a half a minutes are followed by the two minute curiosity “Summerphile” which has some kind of keyboard loop, various spliced bits of feedback, grinding violin, a lurching percussion loop and Kilynn’s vocals holding it all together. It’s a strange, dreamy detour. “Breathing Tape,” at over 9 minutes, is probably even more epic that “Tornado.” It’s a lot more groovy, more of a jam than the determined ferocity of "Tornado." It sounds like everyone’s having a good time and Rizer and Pittman are back with their noisemakers too. The piece is built on a repeated low-end guitar lick and rattling percussion providing a perfect platform for everyone else to freak out. CD only track “Golden Boy” is another 9 minute song but it’s much more easygoing. It’s mostly acoustic guitar and vocals with guest organ by Matt Smith which fills out the track with glistening tones. Additional electric guitar and a bit of percussion crop up in the second half of the track to take it home. “Human Taste (Below the Tide)” closes out the record with another version of the title track. The first version had a vaguely rootsy vibe but this version is all rock ‘n roll. Everything sounds nice and crunchy as any good rock song should with some crisp snare drum action too. If you haven’t heard this, definitely do so. It’s a great record, one of my favorites from last year (whoa, feels weird to say that…)The Scraps CD-r is the first release from Seattle band Scraps (not to be confused with Seattle’s (ridiculous) Scraps Dog Bakery.) Opener “A Salty Sea” features a bass undertow befitting its name and a bombastic chorus with male and female voices doubling each other as is Scraps’ custom. “Shepherd to Sleep” is another great track which is basically a pop song at heart but Scraps stretches and contorts it into something a little darker with an unexpected structure. “Cuckoo Clock” moves along, halfway between a lope and a saunter, with some great lead guitarwork. Ultimately what emerges is an awesome swollen, seasick chorus. Rubbing away all the darker aspects of the previous tracks, “Mountain Problems” materializes as a pure pop gem and one of my most played songs from the last few months. It’s a breakout song for the organ which gets pushed right up front with the guitar, delivering the song’s incredibly catchy, swooning melody. There’s a phenomenal breakdown in the middle of the song which builds tension that totally pays off, making the final chorus seem even more astonishing than when you heard it before. It’s an impeccably conceived and executed pop song. After an almost lullaby-like intro, “Sofi” takes on a bit darker, denser vibe that ultimately leads to another great melody. The closer “Apollo” is another favorite of mine. It’s probably the most driving song on the record and it features another gorgeous organ melody. There are some rad surf rock chord progressions evoking Trompe le Monde a bit which is something I love to hear. There’s a really weird rhythmic bit in the middle that sounds like a steel drum buried under a hundred tons of reverb. Not sure what it is but it’s awesome. The song has lots of twists and turns and even when it revisits something from earlier in the track it’s always in a new way. The ability to construct rock songs in intricate and unpredictable ways is definitely one of the band’s most notable strengths. They also know how to write a charming melody. Human Taste is available from Ecstatic Peace! on CD and the LP is on Not Not Fun. The Scraps CD-r is limited to 200 and is available from GGNZLA records (pronounced “gorgonzola”) and comes with cool blue whale screenprinted cover with a second design of a koala, owl and about a hundred other critters screenprinted in glow in the dark ink.

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As you may have noticed the Auxiliary Out Radio Programme has been retired for some time now. However, from its ashes rises the poorly recorded phoenix ofBourbon County Seattle, USA and Noisesa new home-made "radio show" starring myself, Jeremy from The World is a Drag radio show, music and whiskey. The first episode is now posted. Enjoy!/?